Ranchi: Chaotic scenes unfolded across Ranchi as residents resorted to panic buying even as there was a steep hike in fuel prices. Petrol pumps in the city witnessed massive, winding queues since late Thursday and motorists waited anywhere between 90 minutes to two hours to get their fuel tanks filled.While a heavy rush was visible since Wednesday, the crisis escalated drastically by Thursday evening. Several retail outlets were forced to down their shutters. Numerous fuel stations in the city completely exhausted their typical three-day buffer stock in a single day on Thursday, with some stations selling around 3,000 litres a day selling over 9,000 litres on a single day.The frenzy showed no signs of dying down on Friday even as the price of petrol reached Rs 100.86 per litre from Rs 97.86 per litre after the hike. Likewise, the price of a litre of diesel jumped from Rs 92.62 per litre to Rs 95.76.Ranchi deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri directed senior officials of various oil marketing companies to deploy immediate measures to guarantee an uninterrupted and smooth supply of fuel throughout the district.“The district administration is maintaining a strict vigil on the situation. We strongly urge the public not to succumb to rumours or panic, and to purchase fuel strictly in accordance with their immediate, actual requirements,” he said. Pramod Kumar, spokesperson for the Jharkhand Petroleum Dealers’ Association said, “It is not that there is a massive crisis. The panic buying itself is triggering this shortage.” Sri Gopal Automobile at Ratu Road, which usually sells 6,000 litres of fuel on a regular day, sold around 17,000 litres of Thursday.Manish Sharma, a local resident, said, “The PM himself has appealed to citizens to reduce fuel consumption, which clearly indicates an impending crisis. I would rather keep my car’s tank full to navigate any sudden emergency.”
